Unlike Tsunade, who was a legendary slacker, Tsume Inuzuka was incredibly diligent, rising before the sun to begin her morning training.
A person's destiny certainly depends on their own struggle, but one must also consider the course of history; for most, their fate is but a tiny ripple in the vast current of the era.
Birth and innate talent largely dictate a ninja's ceiling; only a rare few can change their future through pure grit and luck.
Take Tsume and Tsunade: even though Tsume was far more hardworking, she only practiced the beast-mimicry arts of the Inuzuka clan, which naturally limited her ultimate potential.
However, things had finally begun to change.
She was training so early because she had been separated from her ninken for too long; Tsume wanted to re-establish their synchronization to avoid any fatal mistakes in the coming battles.
"Tsume, since when did you become this powerful?" Kuromaru, the talking wolf-dog, asked in sheer amazement as he stared at the massive crater they had just blasted into the earth together.
Looking at the pit, which was nearly twice the size and significantly deeper than their usual output, Tsume was equally stunned.
For over a week, she had done nothing but march; she hadn't practiced a single jutsu.
Why the sudden spike in strength? When had her body changed? Tsume's mind flashed back to the morning after her sessions with Saiki—the way she felt incredibly invigorated, her body light and brimming with vitality.
As the memory hit her, she felt the big dog watching her. Tsume felt a wave of intense embarrassment, but she masked her expression and replied, "It must be the stress of the recent ordeal. My body was pushed to the limit, and after I recovered, I guess I just had a breakthrough!"
Ninken are intelligent, but Kuromaru had the emotional maturity of a ten-year-old child; he simply nodded his large head and didn't overthink it.
The duo attempted a few more coordinated strikes, confirming that her stats had indeed skyrocketed. Tsume knew exactly why she had grown stronger, leaving her feeling deeply conflicted. She was thrilled with the power, yet worried about the potential cost to Saiki; after all, no power comes without a price.
While Tsume was lost in thought, Kuromaru's nose twitched. "Saiki is heading this way."
Though the Inuzuka possessed great sense of smell, they were still inferior to a true hound. Tsume sniffed the air, catching the scent of Saiki growing rapidly stronger.
Before she could wonder what he wanted, Saiki arrived. He appeared in the center of the clearing with a Body Flicker, offering a warm, enthusiastic wave. "Morning, Sensei!"
With Kuromaru present, Tsume felt a spike of nervous tension. If their relationship was discovered, it would be a disaster for everyone involved.
"Saiki? What are you doing here?" she asked, forcing herself to sound calm.
Saiki held up the food boxes in his hand and smiled. "I sensed you training out here and figured you hadn't eaten yet, so I brought you some breakfast."
After her submission to Saiki's "bullying" the night before, Tsume had resolved to keep her distance once they returned to the camp. She knew getting too close would be dangerous for both of them.
But Saiki wasn't the type to accept a rejection. Before she could say "don't bother," he pulled out a portion and handed it to the dog. "Here you go, Kuromaru. This one's for you."
Kuromaru's nose was hyper-sensitive; one whiff told him exactly what was in the box.
Tsume could only watch as Saiki sat down beside her, opening the box for the dog to reveal a massive slab of prime meat, which Kuromaru immediately began to devour with gusto.
Saiki turned to look at Tsume. Noticing the fine sheen of sweat on her forehead, he reached into his pouch, pulled out a soft tissue, and leaned in.
"Here, Sensei, let me get that for you." Had the dog not been there, Saiki would have happily wiped her down himself, a missed opportunity that left him feeling slightly regretful.
Tsume looked at him, her heart a tangled mess of emotions. She knew exactly what he was doing—bringing her breakfast was just a way to maintain the intimacy they had shared. What frustrated her was that Saiki simply refused to listen to her "logic."
In other matters, Saiki might yield, but when it came to turning her into his permanent private ride, he was absolutely relentless.
She remained silent, taking the tissue and wiping the sweat from her brow and neck.
Once she finished, Saiki opened her portion and handed it to her.
It was a massive bowl of soup noodles topped with a double serving of seared steak and two perfectly fried eggs. To ensure nutritional balance, he'd even added a generous portion of crisp vegetables.
Unable to resist his overwhelming attentiveness, Tsume sighed. "Have you eaten yet? Come on, let's share."
"Oh, no need. You eat, Sensei. I made this specifically for you. I've already had mine," Saiki said, watching her with a fond smile.
Tsume didn't argue further. Training on an empty stomach had left her ravenous, and the aroma wafting from the bowl was intoxicating; she knew his cooking was divine.
In reality, Saiki hadn't actually "eaten" yet. He had delivered the food the moment it was ready. However, thanks to the unique properties of the Flower-Flower Fruit, the Flower Clone he had left with the others functioned as a perfect sensory extension of his main body. The feedback was real-time: his clone eating with the girls was the same as his main body eating. His stomach was currently being filled by proxy with meat buns and soup.
Over at the female barracks, once Saiki sensed Tsunade had finished dressing, he pushed the tent flap open and walked back in.
"I thought I told you not to come back in here!" Tsunade barked, clearly not ready to deal with him.
Saiki just put on an innocent look. "But Sister Tsunade, you're already dressed, aren't you?"
Faced with his shameless, thick-skinned attitude, Tsunade's temper flared. "This is my private quarters! Whether I'm dressed or not has nothing to do with whether you're allowed in! Get out!"
Faced with her fury, Saiki merely smiled. He didn't argue; instead, he walked over to the small table and opened a food box. "Now, now, don't be angry. Look, I made you some soup-filled buns."
The moment the lid came off, the rich, savory aroma of the hot meat juice filled the tent. Tsunade's mouth involuntarily watered, and the lecture she was about to deliver died in her throat.
Saiki noted her reaction with a smirk. He poured the steaming dipping sauce—a blend of chili, Sichuan pepper, and assorted spices—into a small dish.
"Alright, it's ready. Dig in," Saiki said. Tsunade desperately wanted to maintain her haughty distance, but her stomach staged a violent rebellion against her pride. She grumpily walked over and flopped down onto her military chair.
"Did you eat?" she asked, glancing up at him.
"Yep," Saiki nodded.
Hearing that, Tsunade didn't hold back. She picked up a bun, nibbled a small hole in the dough, and used a spoon to capture the hot, delicious broth. She took a sip—it was that exact, familiar flavor she loved.
She poured the spicy sauce over the next bun, blew on it, and popped the whole thing into her mouth. A look of pure, unadulterated bliss spread across her face.
"That little bastard might be annoying," Tsunade thought, "but his hands are truly gifted."
In the past, she'd never thought Saiki was annoying. It just goes to show that once a relationship dynamic shifts, so does the perception of the person.
Saiki sat down beside her, watching her eat. Whether it was the professional satisfaction of a chef seeing his customer enjoy the meal, or the personal joy of seeing Tsunade happy, he felt deeply content.
As he stared at her, Tsunade eventually caught his gaze and frowned. "What are you looking at?"
"Mm, just thinking about how beautiful you are, Sister Tsunade." In the past, Saiki would never have been so bold; he'd preferred his "transcendent" facade. Now, he spoke the words with the natural ease of a lover.
Tsunade's hand paused mid-air. Whatever she was thinking, she chose to swallow it along with her food, burying her face back into her buns without a word.
Before long, she had polished off the entire container, looking a bit regretful that it was over. Saiki stood up to tidy the dishes.
Watching his self-satisfied humming, Tsunade finally couldn't help herself. "Don't bother bringing food tomorrow. I'll just eat at the mess tent like everyone else."
Faced with her obvious "duplicity," Saiki just laughed. "Sister Tsunade, you've eaten my cooking every day for years. What's changed now?"
Tsunade wanted to scream, "Stop trying to seduce me!" but the words stayed stuck in her chest.
Seeing her struggling for a comeback, Saiki gave her a playful, warm grin. "As long as you like it, I'll keep cooking for you every single morning. Forever."
On the surface, it was a sweet promise. But the underlying message was clear: "I'm never letting you go. I'll take care of you until the end of time."
Of course, Saiki was currently making that same mental vow to Tsume, and to several other budding young kunoichi.